There is no fluke in Uber.

The black car company has “brand ambassadors” in nearly every city in which it operates. So what does a “brand ambassador” do? Here’s a rundown:

• Be the voice and representative of Uber in that city
• Create excitement about Uber
• Activate at on-site events
• Provide event recaps to Uber’s Community Manager
• Reach weekly & monthly goals set by Community Manager

That last bullet point is the key: even a job as touchy-feely as a “brand ambassador” has weekly and monthly goals.

One goal Uber has hit is revolutionizing payments. For those of you who have never “Uber-ed” a car, Uber’s payments innovation is that, er, there is no payment. Customers simply walk out of the car at the end of a ride. The payment and tip are automatically distributed to Uber and the driver.

We have used Uber and this “invisible” innovation is perhaps its greatest, which is why, for us, Uber is more of a payments company than a taxi service. It has discovered a remarkable truth about payments: that consumers are happy to pay, but are happier when paying is easier. Uber might drive into other businesses (it’s got a relatively new private jet venture called BlackJet, for example), but any expansion of Uber will include its payments innovation. And that makes Uber one of the coolest companies in financial services.

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